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Possession!!!

It has to be!

DTs

See I figure it was caffeine withdraw.

Oh the possibilites! Well done ice, i cant wait to see where this goes next!

HI GUYS! Sorry for the late response. Thanks for the comments.

Possession um? Interesting. HA caffeine withdrawal. What's DTs?

I'm assuming De-Tox like when a junkie goes cold turkey

... people can survive without caffine?

Either Way I'm pumped for the next installment

I should really post some more story.

Wait.......... I may have another section here some where.

And a little boy eagerly awaits

Patience is virtue. Take your time.

“Prepare for reentry,” Commander Seluku stated as she absentmindedly hit several switches in her arm rest. The silver braids of her neuro links shivered slightly as she sent out commands throughout the ship and looked over to the armored Ice Angel standing next to her.

Inushi stood off to the side watching the Commander of the vessel and Sergeant Muttabriqu of the Uttuakki. He felt the distant warp drives deactivate and the ship lurch forward as if it were emerging from a deep pool to take its first breath. The monitors around the bridge switched from their system reports to their normal external camera view.

“Weapons active,” the deep voice of a man spoke.
“Sweeps are online,” a woman stated.
“Drives at 30%,” another added.

The bridge quickly became of symphony of reports. Seluku absorbed it all. Inushi listened but focused on the images on the screens.

In the distance the Iron Torch loomed upside down. Ships glowed and flashed as light reflected off their moving hulls. A wave of information appeared on the screens. Vessel tags, trajectory lines, a torrent of dull figures were added as on overlay on the screens. Muttabriqu was casually looking at each monitor. Inushi watched from a distance to see what ships were left to garrison the Iron Torch while the bulk of Imperial force was at war. He recognized several but most were unknown to him.

As the ship around him bustled with activity he continued his scan of the monitors. A familiar blue icon blinked on the next monitor over. Muttabriqu opened his mouth to give a command when Commander Seluku’s voice pierced the cloud of verbal information.

“Incoming message from the Herald of Sanguinius,”

Muttabriqu paused. Inushi turned to look at the veteran sergeant. For a brief moment a look of shock passed over the Ice Angels face before being replaced by the cold demeanor the angels all seemed to share. With a slight turn Muttabriqu regarded the Commander of the Frozen Rage, “I’ll take the message in the War Altar.”

Before she could respond he was heading off the bridge past Inushi. He gave a slight nod as he did and Inushi fell into step right behind him. Naval guards and staff bowed and saluted as they passed by.

The War Altar was the adjacent room on the top floor of the multi-leveled bridge. It took only a few moments before they were passing through the iconic Ice Angel wings that adorned the black double doors. Servitors activated the necessary lights and screens as they entered.

Muttabriqu stood in the middle of the room and waited for the encryptions and security protocols to finish before he the open line would be made with the other ship. The process took only a few seconds to complete but Muttabriqu seemed to be very distant throughout that time. Inushi watched from the corner of the room by the door. He stood with his hands behind his back. It was the first time he had donned his armor after his serious injuries. The tech marines and artisans of the Frozen Rage were forced to replace parts of his damaged armor and it was greatly improved from what he had previously worn, but it didn’t feel right. Ice Angel armor was created with void warfare in mind. Mantis Warrior armor was created for stealth and silence. Both used Mark VI variants, but he knew he had to adjust his armor before it would once again be they way he wanted.

Without any warning the main bank of screens lit up and the form of a marine in blue mark III armor dominated them all. He wore a hood over his head and his face was hidden behind a golden mask. Inushi couldn’t see his eyes but he could feel the gaze of the marine. He didn’t need to see any of the iconography to know he was looking at an Ice Angel Librarian.

Muttabriqu bowed his head, “Greetings Inevitable Shar-Kallii,” he stated.

“Greetings Sergeant Muttabriqu of the Honored Uttuakki,” he quietly began. His voice carried an intense authority that demanded Inushi’s utmost attention. It was clear this marine was high ranking, simply by his tone. “It is good to see you have yet to visit the Emperor’s side.”

Muttabriqu bowed again, “I feel the Emperor still has much for me to do before I make that trip.”

Inushi watched the exchange between the two and noticed a slight smile pierce the façade of the librarian.

“Muttabriqu, do you recall the last conversation we had?” Shar-Kallii began.

The Veteran sergeant stiffened and narrowed his eyes. The memory clearly hadn’t been a pleasant one, Inushi thought to himself.

“Of course Inevitable, it was the day you and the council had promoted Razzik to eleventh captain.” Muttabriqu responded calmly. It was clear by his posture that he didn’t agree with that decision.

The librarian nodded, “indeed. Now, just as before, I can sense your anger in our decision. I do not need to explain myself to you, but you must know it was for the good of the chapter. Captain Razzik has an important role to play in our future.”

There was an uncomfortable pause in the air at the mention of the captain. Muttabriqu took a deep breath, “Inevitable, Captain Razzik has been lost. He went on a mission to…..”

Shar-Kallii lifted a white armored hand and tilted his head.

“I am aware he is not with you,” he shook his head, “you do not need to explain. I’ll let him do that when he arrives.”

Muttabriqu bowed his head once more. Inushi tried to contain his surprise at the Librarian’s words. He listened intently hoping the librarian would explain but the conversation between the two Ice Angels seemed to end.

Slowly the hooded angel tilted his head, “who is the warrior that shares the War Altar with you?”

Muttabriqu motioned to join him in the center of the room. “This is Brother Tano Inushi of the Mantis Warriors; he is one of the marines the Inquisitor sent with us.”

“AH, the warrior in green.” Shar-Kallii’s voice trailed off as if some divine puzzle piece was just handed to him. Inushi felt as if that statement had an implied meaning he was missing.

“Greetings Inushi, I regret that we are not meeting in person but I hope the second company has been honorable.”

“I have learned much and it was been my honor to fight along side them,” Inushi responded as diplomatically as he could.

Without further comments or questions the Inevitable turned back to Muttabriqu, “Sergeant, notify the Iron Torch that you have returned but do not send any reports or any information until Captain Razzik returns. Once completed gather your Uttuakki and join me on my ship. We have much to discuss.”

“Yes Inevitable,” Muttabriqu bowed.

“Brother Inushi of the Mantis, please notify the warrior in red that Captain Razzik will return to us with all of his men.”

Despite the battery of questions that assaulted his thoughts Inushi nodded his head, “it will be done.” After that the screens went blank. Both Inushi and Muttabriqu continued to stare at the fading monitors.

“Muttabriqu, how does he know about Captain Razzik?” Inushi asked before considering the possibilities.

“Are you familiar with the gifts the Emperor granted Sanguinius?” Muttabriqu eventually asked without altering his gaze.

“Of course, he was a true angel of death.” Inushi remembered the early lessons that he memorized even before becoming a full fledged battle brother. “The Emperor granted Sanguinius wings in which to fly across the battlefield. No one could match his combat skills. It was said that he could even see his opponent’s strikes before his opponent knew he was doing them.”

Muttabriqu nodded and turned, “Indeed. Sanguinius was gifted the ability to glimpse the futures and even see the paths various decisions could create.” He sighed and paused for just a moment. Inushi wondered if he should continue to list the wondrous abilities that Sanguinius was said to have. Before he could continue though Muttabriqu focused on Inushi, he seemed to be evaluating him. A tingling sensation passed over him, almost like he was entering a combat trance when every move could determine your fate. He felt no danger but all of his senses were intensely focusing on this moment.

“That ability is one that still appears in the Ice Angel blood line. That ability is one that the Inevitables, our guiding council, still use today.” Muttabriqu added before staring at Inushi with an authoritative glare. The weight and power of the words passed between them and Inushi could do nothing but continue to stare at the Ice Angel as the responsibility of that knowledge sank in. He didn’t know why Muttabriqu so openly answered his question.

The idea of a psyker council leading an astartes chapter fascinated him, then again there were reasons psykers weren’t chapter masters. The benefits of future sight were certainly obvious and he had heard of psykers with similar powers. That knowledge however, only led to more questions. He opened his mouth to speak but decided against it when he saw the determined look on Muttabriqu’s face.

Instead Inushi gave a salute, “If I may take my leave Sergeant Muttabriqu, I’ll go visit the warrior in red.”

Muttabriqu returned the salute, but did not respond. Inushi turned and quickly left the room, he was already thinking about the upcoming conversation with Jaska. He decided before he reached the double doors that he would keep most of his new knowledge to himself.

Ah see... now that's my kind of update. Intrigue and secrets half-revealed...

You started this project in 2009 and your still going strong for that you have earned the right for me to start at page 1 and read all the way to the present. I will make some post about the things that you have already written about but oh well!

Edit: Just read page one Ice Angel would you mind sending me a copy of the word document via email?

Thanks guys. CKO welcome to my thread. I'll get you that file this weekend. Pdf or word doc?

Word document will be fine thank you.

Captain Razzik stared at Nefas. Unblinking, fists clenched, his power armor’s cooling system had kicked in as his twin hearts beat with fury. He had never wanted to hurt a fellow marine more then in that moment. It took all of his mental fortitude to hold his anger in check.

His mind raced as he tried to reevaluate everything that had been said since Nefas woke up and began to divulge his true purpose for accompanying the Ice Angels on their quest. He still couldn’t believe it. He felt betrayed. He had been deceived and worse then that, he was now being blackmailed.

With a short exhale through his nose his mind crashed to a halt. Psyker or not, Nefas was unarmored and in a room full of Ice Angels on a ship that wasn’t even Imperial. They could take him out before………

Razzik couldn’t hide the look of shock that crossed his face. The ideas he was entertaining were traitorous. No matter how much he disliked Nefas at that moment, no matter how much he wanted to remove his head from his neck, he would not. He took a deep breath and consciously forced himself to open his fists and return to his passive stance. His mind continue to race as his anger subsided, it wasn’t just Nefas that agitated him, it was the feeling of helplessness that he realized he had been harboring all along.

The Inevitables chose him to be the next captain and he had no other option but to accept. He had no other options but take over command of the second company once Captain Ruusa was slain. He could only accept his sentence set upon him by the Inquisitor Vervin. And now Nefas…

Another slow breath left his lips before he refocused on Nefas. “This is blackmail Nefas,” he said while trying to keep his anger from boiling back up.

“Call it what you will Captain. I am still giving you a choice. You can do as I say and help me or I can tell the Inquisition exactly what she wants to hear.” Nefas hissed.

“You work for the Inquisition! How do I know you won’t just do that when you’re done with me,” Razzik retorted.

“You have my word Captain Razzik that you’re secrets will be kept with me and me alone. When my mission is complete you and your men will be released from their duty with honor. I guarantee that. On my honor and my life.” Nefas spoke with words without blinking or hesitating and for several seconds, Razzik believed him.

Razzik waited and looked away. He looked at Shar-Takazz then to several others before speaking again, “are you going to tell me that you will lie to your Inquisitor just to guarantee our aid in your quest?”

The dark gray eyes of Nefas narrowed, “she is not my Inquisitor. Vervin is merely a power hungry bureaucratic amateur. She doesn’t even know who I am.” his voice was full of venom as he mentioned Vervin. “Nor will I lie to her, I’ll simply leave out the subtle questionable things you Ice Angels have always done. Besides, I work for another, someone with more authority then she’ll ever be able to claim.”


The room fell silent as Razzik pondered the implications of what the Sinner had said. Realistically he only had one option and he hated Nefas for it.

“Very well Nefas. Myself and the men of my company will assist you for as long as you hold up your end of this arrangement.”

The feeling of helplessness weighed on his shoulders as he said the words. Captain Razzik met the stare of Nefas. The thin pale marine’s face slowly turned to a smile, “Excellent Captain. Together, we will stop the Dark Eldar menace. I have foreseen it.”

Nefas stepped past Razzik towards a cart with food and drink. Razzik slowly looked at each Ice Angel in the room as the Sinner began his feast. The Angels showed no outward emotion as they met Razzik’s stare. Shar-Takazz gave a small approving nod before going back to his business.

Finally Razzik uprooted himself from his standing position and moved back to his corner. He grabbed one of the books along the way to take his mind off of the feeling of dread that hung around him. When he looked down he saw he’d picked the black metal bound book that no one else had seemed to notice.

Love the intrigue.

You might want to change the following...j

“Call it what you will Captain. I am still giving you a choice. You can do as I say and help me or I can tell the Inquisition exactly what she wants to hear.” Nefas hissed.

Either it's "inquisitor" or it's "they want".

Thanks Git. When I'm next on my computer I will correct that.

You'd be amazed at how many of your problems you can throw out an airlock.

 Mr Nobody wrote:
You'd be amazed at how many of your problems you can throw out an airlock.

I had 99 problems but I voided 'em all.

lol, very nice Avatar720.

Gah that moment when your favorite Fluff blog has a post by it author but its not more story!

At first I was like

but then I was like

“Anything else Captain?” Razzik asked as he placed his hands on the table to get up.

“No, that was all” Fybblywhyp responded as the Ice Angel stood up to his full height. No matter how many times they met, the genetically modified human still scared him.

Razzik took a final look at the occupants in the room. Sybyl was seated to Fybblywhyp’s right. Sithri was standing in the dark corner as always. Thead was by the door behind the space marine with his claws on the hilts of his blades. When Razzik finished his sweep of the room he looked back at Fybblywhyp, “when we arrive I’d like to extend my gratitude for your assistance. On my homeworld it is tradition to have a feast with your allies upon the completion of a long mission. Would you join me upon my ship?”

Before Razzik had completed his request, Fybblywhyp was mentally shaking his head. There is no way he’d take a single step on a ship full of space marines. He’d rather be naked, covered in sweet sap, and dropped into a Vespid Den before sharing a meal with an astartes.

He leaned forward to speak when Sybyl reached out a touched his arm. “Father, I would really enjoy to see a real space marine ship.”

The shock of her request left him speechless and stunned. Her complete lack of fear in this situation also disturbed him.

Before Fybblywhyp could respond Razzik spoke once again. “Not all space marine ships are created equal Sybyl Quip. Many are nothing but cold brutish vessels with a singular purpose but an Ice Angel ship is so much more. Our ships are designed to not only be superior to other vessels of similar sizes but to be a functional work of art to show the true glory of the Emperor.”

Fybblywhyp didn’t believe a word of what Razzik said but he could see how Sybyl’s imagination was already attempting to picture it.

Razzik switched his gaze from Sybyl back to Fybblywhyp. “I will send you the docking instructions after I’ve arrived on my ship.”

The Captain of the Benevolent Aberration watched the space marine leave the room. Boolosh was quickly at his side walking with him back to the temporary med bay. The guards were soon behind them both, keeping their distance from the pair.

The shock was slowly wearing off when Sybyl moved to speak. “I can not wait to see that ship. I wonder how much it costs them to run a….”

“NO!” Fybblywhyp yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. He nearly shocked himself at how much emotion had quickly welled up within him. “We will not be going to his ship. Razzik and every other marine are not to be trusted. We will leave as soon as those marines are off our ship and we have our payment.”

Sybyl looked as if she had been slapped. “What is wrong with you?” She dared to ask. Fybblywhyp spun and gave her a glare that silenced the room. His own daughter talking back to him like this, he narrowed his eyes. If she wasn’t his only blood she’d been on a way to an open airlock.

After a slow exhale he hissed, “I told you Sybyl. Imperial agents discovered our family had psykers so they came to collect them. When they refused a fight broke out and every Imperial agent was dead. Then the black ships came. They brought psykers of their own but it wasn’t until the space marines arrived that……….” His voice trailed off as he saw Sybyl shaking her head in denial. “None of them are to be trusted.” Fybblywhyp added.

“I hear you, Captain,” she used his title which unnerved him, “and I heard you before, but I think you’re missing an opportunity here. Captain Razzik hasn’t given us any trouble and he has agreed to all of the terms you’ve given him.”

“After we have our payment and leave, this ship will be mine. You’ll be retired on some rim world busy with your garden.” She sneered at the thought, “I see an opportunity here. Imagine how much astartes must pay for their supplies.” She looked around at Sithri and Thead, “Think of the fame, of the action! Think of the money!” She leaned forward, “I could command not only this ship, but an entire fleet. With our contacts and connections, it would be easy.”

“No, this is not up for debate Sybyl.”

“And why not?” She spat and leaned forward, “People said not to hire Kroot, but you did. They told you you’d never be able to trade with the Kashnians, and you did. Time and time again you’ve rebelled against what others have told you.”

She paused for a brief moment, “how many times have you said to not judge any alien until you’ve met them and worked with them. Hell, how many members of our crew did others called psychotic and untrustworthy?”

Fybblywhyp was speechless. She was calling him out. All he could do was shake his head, “Sybyl, this is different.”

“How?” she interrupted. “Was Captain Razzik the one that destroyed our homeworld?”

Fybblywhyp took a deep breath and sighed. He had always known Sybyl was ambitious, but this……. This was not what he had ever expected.

“No, but….”

“He already stated his ship is different then other space marines, maybe he and his men are different then the ones that murdered the rest of our family. Why can’t we at least give him a chance?” She calmed down as she finished her question and all eyes settled in on Captain Quip.

He stared back at her, and for once he truly felt like he needed to retire. He understood her logic and realized she was right. He had no real proof that Captain Razzik and his men were monsters or demons like he had always believe, but his gut would not shake the feeling of dread.

“It seems your mind is set and we will be there soon,” he looked back down at the table unable to come up with any reasonable argument. “You can leave and do what you will.”

Sybyl nodded and turned to depart the room.

“I will not be going with you though,” he added before reached the door. She hesitated but didn’t look back as she left the room.

Thead and Sithri exchanged glances with one another, neither knowing what to say or do. When Fybblywhyp finally took his gaze away from the table he stared at the open door, his eyes lost in future possibilities.

“Sithri, I want you to go with her when she goes. Do whatever you need to do to protect her. Shi-Thead, my friend, I want our best human guards to go with her as well. Everyone else I want on red alert and fully prepared for anything suspicious.”

The two nodded in acknowledgement before they left.

Finally alone, he took off the red ring on his index finger and slumped into his chair. He rotated the small band of metal absentmindedly. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” he kept telling himself. He tried to think of his retirement. He forced himself to picture the dream he had spent so long creating but the fear of reality kept beating it away.

“Damn,” he cursed. Slowly he got up and took a final look around the room. He rubbed his face trying to think of anything other then his daughter. He then couldn’t help but chuckle. He wasn’t sure if it was out of fear or out of the realization that she was exactly like he was back in the day.

They will arrive in two days. His mind raced to think of something that would take her away from this dangerous path but then again, nothing ever stopped him once his mind was set.

He gave up too easy. If this was that important to him... he would have kept fighting.

Hmm, good point. Easy fix though, hold on here.

I'm a dad. If I was that worried about something that I perceived to be a direct threat to my child's life... I'd never stop arguing. She'd have to go behind my back and against my will.

Okay, I spun it a little bit differently. Tell me what you think.

I like that much better Ice. Nice re-write.

I with the captain on this one. Even the most approachable marine can turn around and kill you for standing outside their codes and laws.

But it will be interesting.

I like that rewrite much better too.

Mr. Nobody, that is a good point but one that not everyone in the 40k universe probably knows.